Trend Radar 2008: Simplicity in Design

Simplicity and reduction in design are going to be the mantras in 2008, as industrial designers look for ways to make technology more human-centric.

We are faced with the daunting challenge of delivering convergence devices with umpteen functions without losing the user.

We are also faced with the challenge of delivering highly personalized user experiences in the web 3.0 paradigm.

In meeting these challenges, three of John Maeda’s Laws of Simplicity seem particularly compelling to me: Reduction, Learning and Context.

With Reduction, non-essential features can be taken out.

With Learning, a more personalized user experience can be delivered, requiring less work on the part of the user.

And it is Context that makes personalization possible.

John, by the way, is a well-known professor of design at the MIT Media Lab and the author of many books, including The Laws of Simplicity. You can read some great Maeda quotes at 37 Signals here and here and listen to his TED talk here.

John Maeda is a great example of a Renaissance mind. He will become the next president of Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), and I expect, will mentor a new generation of designers in the simplicity school of thought.

This segment is a part in the series : Trend Radar 2008